


The Demon and The Queen

by Chillhopsenpai



Category: Sword Art Online (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, F/M, High Fantasy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 15,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23303815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chillhopsenpai/pseuds/Chillhopsenpai
Summary: Queen Yuuki is busy defending her kingdom of Aincrad from invaders when she's ambushed and about to be captured. Suddenly, a dark legend from the storybooks saves her, but they're trapped in enemy territory and must find their way back to save the kingdom.
Relationships: Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito/Yuuki Asuna | Asuna
Comments: 23
Kudos: 88





	1. Outset

**Author's Note:**

> Happy social distancing fellow quarantinees, here's an idea I've had sitting in the WIP folder that I've had more time to develop with the situation being as it is. More updates to come to all of my works soon! Thanks for reading, and as always, your thoughts, kudos, and comments are always appreciated by us hungry authors. Enjoy!

“Your Highness, they’re breaching the right flank.”

Queen Asuna Yuuki regarded the battlefield before her with a serene face and a cool, calculating eye. The war against the invaders was close. Far too close for her liking. Her heavy cavalry were managing to fend off the infantry in the wide open expanse of grassland in front of the copse her horse stood on. Behind them the rank and file infantry had formed an excellent shield wall for her archers, who were systematically placing volleys into the advancing hordes. However, to the sides of the plains, in the sparse forests to the east and west, her calvary couldn’t make use of their long lances to fend off the enemy waves, and they seemed more familiar with the area than her soldiers.

“Has Captain Klein gone to reinforce the western flank?” Her general, Agil, clinked in his armor as he bowed his large head.

“Yes, Your Highness. He and the Fuurikanzan have gone to support our swordsmen there. I am confident he will hold the line.”

“Has Sinon sent word in yet?”

“Her falcon just arrived. She and her archers are running low on arrows. She estimates about another thirty minutes before they run flat out.”

“Very well. Ensure the next delivery from the supply line goes to her. Tell her to make sure to keep their archers and heavy infantry from mounting too much of a rally.”

“As you say, Your Highness. There is still the matter of-”

“The right flank, yes.” Her brow furrowed and she sighed. “I’ll take care of it myself.” She heard the chains on Agil’s armor clank as he whipped around in his saddle.

“Your Highness, that is not necessary. I am the general, I would gladly lead our troops in the assault. The elite guard-”

“-are needed down in the center body. They’ve just sent out their shock troopers to punch a hole in our charge.” Agil swore under his breath and looked out at the plains. Surely enough, heavily plated foot soldiers wielding tall, thick shields were forming a wedge and slowly weathering their way through the hail of arrows. “I’m not without protection, Agil. You know I can do it.” 

“You rely too much on your gift,” he grumbled. “It isn’t infallible. You are still as vulnerable as anyone else to a sword or an arrow.” The loud sound of steel slithering free of its sheath rang out on the copse. 

“So is everyone else,” Asuna retorted, raising her rapier as she kicked her horse into a loping gallop.

She sped her way through the battle lines, cheers rising up after her.

“For the kingdom of Aincrad!”

“Queen Yuuki!”

Her horse flew across the open plains, bee-lining towards the shade of the forest to the east. From her saddle she could hear the clashes of steel and the screams of dying men. Her jaw tightened and she bent low over the horse’s neck keeping her rapier held low, her eyes scanning for any would-be attackers. As she came into the trees, she was able to make out the tattered remnants of her banner, the red and white fabric hanging low in the trees on a broken pike. A broken body lay beneath it. However, no other signs of conflict showed under the shadows of the leaves. She pulled her horse short, stopping by the body. She dismounted, looking around warily before kneeling down and looking into the visor of the helmet of the dead soldier. His bloodshot eyes stared listlessly into nothing. She gently took her fingers and closed them.

“Thank you,” she whispered softly. 

A twig snapped.

Asuna stood, her cloak whirling as she brought her sword up into a defensive posture, coiled and ready to strike.

Several shadows emerged from behind the trunks of the trees, clad in the garish green uniforms of the enemy. They bore swords and axes curved in wicked half moons, faces masked behind full faced helms that only showed the whites of their eyes. They wasted no time, coming at her en masse, silent as death.

Asuna let out a brazen yell as they came at her, her blade shining as it took the first of them in the throat. It darted again and found another opening in the gap of the second and thirds’ armor, just under their arms. She ducked under an axe swing and flickered her blade in three sharp thrusts, punching a large hole through the breastplate of a large soldier wielding a massive broadsword. She turned to see three more advancing on her and her blood ran cold. The aspect of fighting multiple enemies didn’t scare her, she’d trained in that situation multiple times. No, what made her feel like ice was growing up her spine was the fact that two carried weighted nets. She reached inside of herself, deep down to the well of power that dwelt down deep inside of her as she dropped back into a stance that radiated that energy from the center of her body, down along her arms and coalesced into a blinding point of light at the end of her sword.

“Radiant First Stance: Shooting Star!” Asuna cried out in a clarion voice as she thrust her sword. The light shot forth like a comet and tore a burning hole through all three of her attackers, light illuminating the forest so harshly that the remaining attackers cried out and shielded their eyes and fell back. Asuna held her stance until the light died out, then exhaled and looked around. Small banners of fire lapped at the cloth of the fallen enemies’ uniforms. The trees shook from the impact of her attack.

“Now, now, that is quite impressive!”

Asuna turned again, sword raised. At the other end of the clearing stood an arrogant-looking blonde man wearing ornate golden armor atop green robes. He stood with his arms crossed and an appraising look on his face,

“I had heard that the Queen of Aincrad had possessed a certain power, but I thought it was a metaphor for your charms!” He slowly began walking in a circle along the edge of the clearing. The tip of Asuna’s sword tracked him. “Of course, on the off chance they were being literal, I did prepare a bit of insurance.” He clicked his fingers and dozens more of shadows came from out of the trees, all bearing bows knocked with arrows. Asuna’s eyes flickered, widening. “I’m not completely familiar with the full extent of your power, but I don’t think you’d be able to stop about a hundred arrows, and even if you did manage to somehow tip the scales in your favor just long enough to escape, another one of my squadrons is busy cordoning off the area.” 

“Why do you want to capture me?” Asuna demanded. “Who are you?” The arrogant looking man stopped in his tracks.

“Why, I’m hurt! You’ve been at war with my country for a month now and you still don’t know my name?”

“I don’t care for pleasantries with scum who slaughter my subjects.” His self assured expression cracked a little.

“King Oberon of Alfheim. And as to why I am here to capture you, I intend to make you my queen.” Asuna’s nostrils flared as her blood pounded, hot in her veins.

“You aren’t the first man to make such an impudent statement,” she growled. “But by the goddess, after I am through with you, you will be the last.” She went to lift her sword to summon another attack, but cried out in pain as an arrow pierced her foot. What sent the biggest shock through her, though, was the sudden absence of the well of power.

“Temper, temper,” Oberon tutted. He resumed his circle around the clearing. “You see, I have the most remarkable healers on retainer, so if I have to take you back in less than perfect health, it is of no consequence to me.” A cold smile creased his face. “And I’m sure you’re dying to know what has happened to your power. You see, a meteor fell from the skies not too long ago. My court mages discovered that when the ore from that metal is melted down and mixed with silver, it disrupts any connection one might have to their power.” Asuna looked around the clearing with renewed fear in her eyes. “Yes, and now you begin to understand the situation you are in.” He clicked his fingers again and this time a small troop of soldiers came into the clearing bearing a large metallic cage. 

Asuna’s heart crept into her throat. Suddenly, someone spoke.

“Extinguish the heavens and obscure my surroundings. Come forth, Solar Eclipse.”

Abruptly, the light in the clearing began to slowly drain away until nothing was left but a dim twilight that Asuna could hardly see by. Then, after the light had faded, the color slowly leeched away from the trees, the leaves, the grass, everything. Oberon and his soldiers skittishly looked around, murmuring curses at the unnaturally grey forest.

“Oni,” one said, his eyes wide as he looked around the forest, his bow trembling.

“Who’s there?” Oberon demanded, but his voice cracked. “Show yourself!”

“It’s him!” another cried out. “The Demon!”

“Shut up!” Oberon shrieked. “There’s no such thing. The Demon is a myth!”

Asuna saw a slim cut shadow slowly drift between two trees behind the cage bearers. He was dressed in a battered black yukata, tied with a frayed, gray rope. He had a ragged shock of obsidian hair and eyes as dark as pitch. He locked eyes with her and she shivered. She blinked, and then he was gone.

“If he’s a myth, then explain this!” A lieutenant shouted, gesturing at the unnatural surroundings. “This is clearly the work of the Shadow-touched!”

“Focus!” Oberon bellowed, silencing the chattering soldiers. “Any man who does not complete my bidding will be put in the stockade! Now get her!” As he yelled the last of his orders, his breath came out in a white plume of steam. He froze, looking at the dissipating mist in shock.

“Duck,” a voice behind Asuna grunted. She flinched and wasted no time in complying as she felt the telltale tingle pass over her skin that signaled someone was channeling nearby. “Shadow’s First Stance: Horizon Slice.” 

Asuna felt a rush of air pass over her head and she looked up after it had gone by. She watched wide-eyed as she saw a jet black piece of metal rip the air over her head and create a razor thin line of pure blackness in its wake. The line hovered in the air for a split second, then screamed across the open space between her and the cage. Oberon and his men cried and ducked out of the way as it collided with the metal structure. The inky line hit the metal and passed through as if it were nothing, then vanished. Everything and everyone was frozen for a moment. Then, the screeching of metal grated on Asuna’s ears and the cage collapsed in itself, cut perfectly in half horizontally. Again, for another moment, everyone was silent.

“Shoot them!” Oberon screamed, slapping the nearest soldier to him in the helmet. The man released his arrow on reflex and Asuna watched as it arced directly towards her.

_ Ching! _

She blinked, confused as to why there was no blossoming of pain in her chest. She looked down and inhaled sharply. The arrow lay split in two at her feet, next to the one that had punctured her foot. She didn’t even feel it get pulled out. She looked up at the black clad figure behind her in bewilderment.

“Who are you?” she breathed. Those dark eyes slowly grated down to meet hers.

“I am no one.”

“Kill them!” Oberon shrieked. “Kill them both!” Men began scraping up their bows and drawing them, taking their aim.

“Hold on,” he told her, grabbing her forearm and dragging her to her feet. He took his sword and traced a strange looking sigil onto the ground. “Move with the swiftness of dusk: Twilight Step.” The next thing Asuna knew, she was stumbling through the forest, being dragged by her arm towards the bright light of day.

“Wait! More of Oberon’s troops have the forest surrounded! He’s sure to have used heavy infantry to block us in!” she yelled. Her rescuer snarled, then pivoted them in a different direction.

“I know a way we can escape, but if they’re in the way, we’re going through them. Can you run with that hole in your foot?”

“It’d take more than this to stop me.”

“You still got power left?”

“Plenty!”

They broke free of the trees and ran across a sparse stretch of grass. In front of them, heavily armored green clad troops spotted their approach and locked their shields together, making an impenetrable wall.

“I’ll break their guard!” he called back to her. “You switch in after!” He streaked across the open ground, that black sword of his trailing just above the tips of the blades of grass. Asuna watched as she ran behind him, her skin prickling as she heard him begin another incantation. “Tear my targets apart! Vorpal Thunder!” Dark energy began to swirl around his blade as he charged head on at the shield wall. 

Just as Asuna thought he was about to run headfirst into the enemy, he jumped into the air and twisted, bringing his full weight to bear down on the soldier in front of him. As his sword came down on the enemy’s shield, a vicious clap of thunder rang out at the impact and sent a shockwave rolling outwards from him, knocking both him and the shields up and away.

“Now!” he screamed. Asuna sprinted, savoring the feeling of her restored access to her power as she went.

“Harness the light and augment my attack,” she chanted. “Prism Hydra!” She raised her sword and the light from her blade was refracted ten times over, ghostly reflections of her sword blinking into existence in a spectrum of colors. They mirrored her movements as she continued her approach. She ran under her rescuer as he hung suspended in the air and jabbed her sword under her opponent’s guard. The reflections of her sword followed suit, plunging into his compatriots next to him in blinding flashes of light. They fell in screams of agony. Asuna ran by them as they fell, her eyes looking for her impromptu partner.

“Here,” he said from beside her, making her start. “Head for that pass up ahead.” He gestured to the craggy path in front of them that was flanked by two rocky mountains on either side. Behind them, the enemy began to regroup as they pressed forward.

“That’s the wrong way!” Asuna shouted to him even as they rushed toward the opening as fast as their legs could carry them. “My army is to the south!”

“Yes, them and the entire specialized strike force of the enemy, Your Highness! _ ”  _ the dark figure beside her retorted back. “Now run or die!” Asuna’s pride flared up at the sound of her title being used in such a mocking manner, but she poured her outrage into her legs as they sprinted through the craggy mountain pass.

The cliffs on either side towered high above them and served as sounding boards that amplified the noise of their pursuers clanking and screaming after them. Asuna could hear the hoofbeats of horses riding them down, hear the creaking of the leather saddles as their riders leaned forward, urging their steeds onward. Fear began clawing at her belly as she imagined the enemy readying long lashing poles to snare them in their tracks.

“Become the far reaching shadow,” she heard from beside her. Her eyes flickered over and went wide at what they saw.

Her ally bent over his sword as he ran, the palm of his free hand running along the razor sharp edge of the blade. A line of blood split the pale skin of his hand, but rather than falling to the ground, the blade seemed to drink it in, feeding on the essence that ran from the wound.As it fed, it seemed to draw more in, wrapping itself in shadows that seemed to be ripped from the clefts of the rocks surrounding them, the swathes of land shaded by clouds, everywhere.

“Umbral Lance!” he snarled, thrusting the sword at a cliff face far above him. The blade seemed to elongate and stretch an almost impossible distance, impacting the rock with a thunderous crash. Gigantic boulders were dislodged from the shock and came tumbling down into the narrow pass behind them, causing their pursuers to scream in terror and abruptly reverse to avoid being crushed. The duo threw themselves clear of the wreckage, shielding their eyes from the rock shards that careened through the air. They lay on the ground, panting as the mountains behind them continued to rumble in protest; safe, but in unfamiliar territory.

Asuna grunted as she clambered up to her feet, inspecting her surroundings. As she scanned around her, she noticed there was no wound on her ally’s hand from where he’d slashed it mere moments ago.

“Alright,” she said, exasperated. “Now tell me, who in the name of the Great Pit are you?” 

“My name,” the man said, coolly brushing dust off of his simple robes before looking her in the eye, “is Kirito.”


	2. Revelation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, managed to add another chapter before the end of the year! As always, thanks to all of you who read and support me through your comments and kudos. They motivate me! Please feel free to share your thoughts below or ask me anything at my tumblr. Enjoy!

“My name is Kirito,” he said, knocking the dirt off of his black garments.

“Alright, Kirito,” Asuna huffed. “Who are you and where did you get your gift?” 

“Shh,” he told her, holding up a finger to her face. She blinked at him incredulously. “I don’t know if that landslide was big enough to completely seal off the pass.” Asuna pursed her lips in annoyance, but ultimately complied as she took a first real look at her surroundings.

Behind them, the gray jagged peaks of the mountains towered into the sky, still rumbling their complaints as rubble tumbled down the slate gray slopes of split rock. To her left and right, the mountain range continued, the bases fringed by scattered boulders and gritty sand that reached for a few yards before being choked out by the grass. In front of her, a great forest stretched out to the horizon, packed with trees that looked completely foreign to her. She glanced behind herself again at the narrow pass that they had come from. Not even air could’ve passed through the tightly packed debris that now completely walled them off from their pursuers.

“With the destruction you caused, it’s lucky we weren’t caught in that landslide,” she told him.

“The end result is what is important,” he replied, his dark eyes still scanning the surroundings. Seemingly satisfied they were in no immediate danger, he dropped out of his ready stance. He took his sword and slashed a diagonal line in front of him, then spun the blade and placed it on his back in a single, fluid motion that looked to Asuna to be the result of years of habit. Her eyebrows raised, however, when she noticed that there was no sheath for the blade to enter into.

“Where-” she was cut off by a flash of inky darkness that started at the tip of Kirito’s sword and raced along its length, the blade fading away into nothing as it passed. The darkness consumed the handle and his sword disappeared entirely, leaving her slack jawed.

“Did you say something?” he asked, looking back at her, his now empty hands settling on his hips.

“Yes,” she grated. “You never answered my initial question.”

“I told you who I am.”

“Your name is only part of that, and it doesn’t even begin to answer any of my other questions! Where did you come from? Why did you save me? Why did those men call you the Demon?” He turned to her and tilted his head to the side as he pursed his lips.

“Typical nobility. Millions of questions, none of them important.”

Asuna’s nostrils flared as she marched up to him, getting inches away from his face as she looked him dead in the eye. “I am the Queen of Aincrad, address me with the proper respect,” she growled.

His expression didn’t change a fraction of an inch as he continued to regard her with that cool, unflinching gaze.“Very well, Your Highness, but as I am the one who knows where exactly we are right now, and you don’t, I must also ask that you address  _ me _ with the proper respect.”

Asuna faltered for a moment, then retreated a few steps and begrudgingly lowered her head. “You…..are right. Forgive me. I’ve been remiss. I owe you my life, after all.” She heard a long sigh.

“There’s no need to go that far. Just treat me as an equal.” 

Asuna lifted her eyes to his, an eyebrow quirked at the ragged figure in front of her. “You consider yourself equal to the queen?” she asked.

“No,” he answered, shaking his head. “I am no more than anyone else.”

“You are a strange man indeed, Kirito.” Asuna gestured to their surroundings. “So, based off of what I remember from the castle’s maps, I assume we are on the other side of the Umbral Spires?”

“Correct.”

“It was my understanding that the only ways through the Spires were Fang’s Pass and the Goddess’ Throat.”

“In a manner of speaking” he nodded in acknowledgement. “Those are the only ways through for armies or convoys of considerable size. However, there are a few narrow passes no bigger than a few horses wide, such as that one, that are used by smugglers and wanderers.” Asuna glanced at the now sealed off passage.

“Are there any more of those passages near here?” 

Kirito shook his head slowly as he reached inside his robe and removed a scroll of parchment. He removed the string wrapped around it and spread it along the ground, weighing it down with small shards of stone that had settled around them. Asuna stepped closer, craning her neck to look at what appeared to be a hand drawn map.

The center of the map was dominated from top to bottom by a jagged line that was neatly labeled off to one side ‘Umbral’. To the west side of the mountains, Asuna saw the names of a few sparse frontier towns that represented the very fringes of civilization in Aincrad. Though she had never visited the tiny hamlets that were so crudely drawn onto the rough parchment, her heart squeezed in her chest at being separated from her kingdom. Her people. They were still in need of her armies and her support. She hoped Agil had survived the shock trooper’s charge. They would need his calm demeanor in the chaos that would undoubtedly unfold from her disappearance.

“Your Highness.” Asuna blinked and looked up. Kirito stared at her with those unsettling black eyes, his face a mask that was impossible to gauge. “Were you listening?”

“Forgive me, I was distracted. Could you please repeat what you said?” She heard him sigh through his nose, but he lowered his eyes back down to the parchment.

“We are here,” he said, pointing to a spot just off to the east side of the jagged mountain lines at the bottom of the map. His finger moved to a location about a third of the way up the mountains. “The battle is taking place at and on the surrounding fields of Fang’s Pass. The Alfheim army is sure to have their troops camped on the surrounding countryside of the Spires on their side.”

“I thought as much.” Her fingers drummed on the ground as she looked over the parchment. “If we want to avoid detection by their army we’re going to have to circumnavigate deeper into the countryside.”

“Correct.”

“You said there weren’t any more of these smuggler’s passes near here. Where’s the next closest break?” 

Kirito frowned down at the map as his finger slowly traced a long line almost all the way to the northern reaches of the mountain range. “Here.”

“But that’s practically at the Goddess’ Throat! Travelling there on foot would take weeks!” 

Kirito shrugged as he rolled up the scroll again. “My apologies. Perhaps you should have your other guide lead you to a more preferable destination.” 

Asuna scrunched up her face.“I have no other guide.” 

He paused, looking into her eyes, face completely deadpan. “Fascinating.”

“Are you….. _ mocking  _ me?” Asuna asked incredulously. “Your impunity knows no bounds!” 

“You’d be surprised,” he replied as he stood. “The journey will go quicker after we steal some horses. Come on.”

“Wait, now you’re suggesting stealing?!” Asuna cried out. 

He looked back at her over his shoulder. “Unless your gift can get us there quicker, yes.” 

Asuna pursed her lips, loathe to lower herself to such a task, but managed to swallow her pride. “Very well, lead the way.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“You can’t be serious,” Asuna whispered angrily.

“Stealing from a larger settlement would be more difficult,” Kirito whispered back. “These people are your enemy, remember? Aren’t nobles supposed to have the spine to make these kinds of hard decisions?”

“Yes, in regards to some things, but this? This is reprehensible!”

They were crouched behind a fallen log under the shade of the strange wide-leafed trees that seemed to grow on this side of the Umbral Spires. In front of them, a ramshackle house squatted on a crooked foundation in a clearing in the forest. A decaying barn sat in front of a field of neatly tilled soil that nurtured tiny green sprouts as a pair of young children ran around in ragged clothes while a man and woman tended to the plants. Nearby, a pair of large draft horses chewed peacefully on some grass inside of a paddock. 

“These people are poor! They couldn’t afford to lose those horses!” she hissed back.

“Your kingdom can’t afford to lose you,” Kirito retorted. “Big picture, Your Highness!”

“We can’t hurt these people! There are children!”

“Who said anything about hurting them?” 

Asuna blinked. “You….aren’t going to rob them?” 

Kirito looked over at her, his face aggravated. “Of course we’re going to rob them, we’re here to steal horses.”

“But you aren’t going to hurt them?”

“Of course not. I’m not a savage. I’m just going to scare them.” 

Asuna’s gaze lingered on his face for a few moments more as she reassessed her judgements about her traveling companion. “How do you intend to do that?” she asked. 

A faint trace of a smile ghosted onto Kirito’s face. “Watch.”

He took a finger and stuck it into his mouth. Asuna’s eyes widened as she saw that he had canines that were so large they looked almost like fangs. He nicked the skin off of the tip of his finger, drawing a drop of blood. He took the finger and slowly drew a circle in the dirt of his feet, and once the circle was complete, he took his other hand and picked a dead leaf off of the ground, then crushed it in his fist and ground it up between his palms. After it was mashed into a powder, he bent down over the circle he drew and blew the fine bits of leaf over the circle. Asuna watched in fascination as thick gray fog rapidly began to pour forth from the circle and zipped around the border of the clearing. Once the tendrils of fog had encircled the entire clearing, it slowly began creeping forward at about knee height, swallowing the grass like a hungry beast set to graze. 

The people in the clearing froze when they saw the fog encroaching on them. The children who had been playing so carefreely in the yard zipped across the yard to tremble behind their father’s legs. The burly man ushered them towards their mother who quickly shooed the children inside as she went to the cottage, hesitating in the doorway for a moment to cast a fearful glance over her shoulder towards her husband who held his ground in the garden, brandishing his pitchfork in shaky hands.

“Oh,” Kirito whispered. “We have a brave one. Suppose it’s time to up the ante.” 

“What do you mean?” Asuna asked; her eyes still glued to the farmer. When he didn’t answer, she looked over to find him vanished without a trace. When she glanced back to the clearing, she saw something that sent chills running down her spine.

The farmer stood completely frozen, his eyes transfixed on the figure slowly gliding out of the woods. Asuna recognized Kirito’s battered black yukata, but she didn’t recognize….. _ that. _

Whatever was wearing Kirito’s robe still had his hair, but instead of being cut jagged and short, it had a ragged black mane of hair that fell down to the middle of its back in spiky tufts around silver horns that jutted out from its head. It looked to be a few inches taller too, judging from the way it towered a good head over the poor man. Its skin was….. _ wrong.  _ All wrong. Sickly gray pale flesh that almost looked translucent clung to cord-like skeins of muscle that made up its frame. Even from her position hidden in the brush, Asuna could see dark lines that traced their way along paths that branched into ever smaller lines running up its neck and down its arms. Its eyes made her gasp under her breath. They were pure black; no light reflected off of them.

The creature glided forward, its feet shrouded by the fog. The farmer took a faltering step backwards, then another, and another as he gradually lost his nerve. Eventually he turned tail completely and ran into the house. Even from where she remained hidden in the brush, Asuna could hear the slam of a heavy plank shooting home into what she could only guess was a brace on the backside of the rough hewn door. The monster grunted satisfactorily and inhaled deeply through its mouth, sucking up all of the fog in the clearing in a vortex that surrounded it in a flurry of whipping winds. When the flurry had subsided, all that remained was Kirito’s lanky form standing idly in the field as if nothing were any different.He yawned as he stretched his arms over his head and turned in Asuna’s direction.

“Coming?” he called quietly. 

She exited from the forest slowly, her eyes locked on him, wary.

Seeing that she was indeed coming along, he turned away and strolled over to the paddock where the large draft horse was still placidly chewing on the small plumes of stringy grass inside of its enclosure. Grabbing the saddle from where it lay hung up on the fence, Kirito made short work of preparing the animal for travel and mounted up. He extended a hand out to her to help her into the saddle.

Asuna looked at his hand reproachfully, still uncertain of what she just witnessed. Seeming to sense her hesitation, he rolled his eyes.

“I promise to tell you more about my power if you hurry up and get on,” he told her. 

The burning curiosity inside of her ultimately won out, and she took his hand as she stepped into the stirrup and swung into the saddle behind him. He tapped the sides of the horse with his heels and the lumbering behemoth lifted its shaggy head from the grass and tottered out of the paddock. Once it was clear of the enclosure, it broke into a loping trot that quickly distanced them from the small clearing in the trees.

Asuna tried to retain her balance as best as she could without hanging onto Kirito, but the horse’s powerful haunches kept jostling her around her as it galloped through the forest and she nearly fell off. In the end, she relented and grasped the frayed rope that encircled Kirito’s waist.

“So are you going to answer my questions now?”

“What do you know about the legends of Aincrad?”

The question in response to hers caught her off guard. “Ah, about as much as anyone else would know I suppose. Why?”

Kirito remained silent for a moment. “Tell me how the world was made in the legends.”

“If I remember correctly,” she answered “In the beginning, the Goddess created the world as an act of benevolence, because she wanted a place where she could create and live alongside her creations in bliss.”

“Correct,” he said. “Keep going.”

“When she made the lands, she made them lush and full of life, and she made the lands flat so that anyone who wanted to come and see her would not have a hard journey and so they would not have to suffer unnecessarily. She created a place of power in the center of her kingdom that she could perform miracles for those who needed them; a place where the sunlight was pure and bright, where the air was rich with the smell of flowers, and the very earth seemed to heal those who stood on it, and those who she loved were permitted to enter and were given the gift of magic so they could also help the people around them in her stead.”

“What happened after that?”

Asuna faltered as she cast her memory back, recalling her teachings as a child. “Then…..then one day, it is said that one of the gifted ones took the power he was given and went to the places where the shadows stayed long no matter the time of day, where whispers were heard of wretched things that should have never been given voice, and there he twisted his gift from the Goddess and made himself a new name.”

“Azaloth.” The sound of the name sent icy waves washing over her skin, and the birds who were singing in the forest as they passed by fell silent.

“Yes,” she replied. “The Dark One.”

“What happened next?”

“The Dark One… came to the Goddess’ place of power, and attacked. He dealt her a terrible blow that wounded her to her core.” Asuna’s eyes began to brim with tears. “The wound ultimately would force her to withdraw from the world and return to heaven, but before she left, some of those who had been given the gift of magic returned their power to her and with that, she utilized the full strength of her power to defeat the Dark One and seal him in the Great Pit, as well as bestow one final gift to humanity.” She clutched one hand over her heart. “A gift of her magic to one bloodline; the first of those to offer themselves to her in her time of need for the greater good, so that they could continue to guard the land in her place.”

“Your family.”

“Yes,” she replied. “My family. But I don’t know what that has to do with you.”

“What happened after the Dark One was sealed?” he asked her.

Her brow furrowed as she thought back again. “The legends say as he was dragged down to the Great Pit, his hand reached up from under the earth and created the Umbral Spires, as a reminder of his existence and a final spite to the peaceful pastures the Goddess had made.” She saw his head tilt forward in acknowledgement.

“That’s true. Do you know what the local people say about the Spires?”

“No,” she said. “I can’t say I do. I don’t have an opportunity for leisure travel to the edges of the kingdom very often.” 

The evening sun filtered down through the trees with their strange wide leaves and painted Kirito’s face in a dappled golden light as he turned his head to regard her out of the corner of his eye. That dark eye seemed impossibly deep.

“Those who live near the Umbral Spires fear them with every fiber of their being. They love the Goddess and will do anything to stay away from the Dark One. The legends say that anyone who enters the shadows of the Umbral Spires will have a curse befall them; one so terrible, they dare not speak of it, just like the Dark One.So they take unimaginable pains to stay away from them.”

“That sounds like typical commoner superstition to me, though. The Dark One was sealed away by the Goddess and is unable to return.”

“As the legends say.” He was quiet for a moment. “But imagine for a moment that those superstitions were true.”

Asuna’s eyes narrowed. “How so?”

“Say a child was born under the shadows of the Umbral Spires.”

Her mind raced as a series of events flashed through her mind. Her rescue. His powers. That….. _ thing.  _ She jolted upright and released her grip on his belt, leaning away from him in the saddle.

“You?” she breathed. “You can’t seriously tell me that your gift-”

“Make no mistake Your Highness,” he said calmly, as though discussing something as mundane as the tides. “It is no gift like yours. It is a curse.”

He stopped the horse in a small glade that ran next to a river and dismounted. As his feet hit the ground, he reached his hand behind his back, and a pulse of that dark energy from before surged down from his palm and materialized into that strange sword again. In one fluid motion, he swept the blade at a tree that looked to be as twice as thick around as Asuna’s forearm. It passed through it as though nothing were there. Before it had even toppled to the ground, he swung the blade in a flurry of strikes that she could hardly follow. A neat pile of logs fell in a heap to the ground.

“What is the name of that blade?” Asuna asked from the back of the horse.

He turned to face her and held it out at chest level for her to examine. It was a jet black piece of metal, of some variety she had never seen before. The blade was ramrod straight, unlike the blade Captain Klein favored. The handle looked to be wrapped in a dark leather, and the spiked cross-guard curved in a half-moon that shielded his fingers.

“This blade is known as the Elucidator,” he replied. “That which makes clear.”

Asuna glanced at the black blade askance. It definitely gave off an unsettling air.

The blade vanished into mist again and he returned his attention to the logs behind him and began arranging them in a stack on the ground. “Do you intend to sleep on horseback tonight, Your Highness?” he called over his shoulder. “I do not recommend it. You will be sore in the saddle all day tomorrow.”

Asuna pursed her lips and glared at his back, squeezing the reins of the horse in her hand. She looked at the dark woods in front of her, and weighed her odds of navigating in the dark.

“Travelling in enemy territory through the dark and alone is ill advised, Your Highness.”

She whipped around to look back at him. He was still in the process of building the fire and didn’t look as though he had turned around.

“I will not be resting on horseback, thank you very much,” she grumbled as she dismounted.

“Very well then. I will leave it to you to sort out how you would like to arrange your bedding for the evening, then.”

Asuna looked past him, puzzled as to what he meant when she saw a neat pile of leafy branches that was laying on the ground where the tree had been. She looked back at Kirito, eyes wide. She had not seen him split the branches off of the tree as he had felled it.

He looked up at her, his black eyes serene. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing,” she answered, shaking her head. “It’s just that there doesn’t seem to be enough branches for the both of us.”

“There’s no need for two mattresses,” he replied, focusing again on the logs. “I do not sleep. Feel free to use all of the branches.”

“Wait a minute, you don’t sleep?”

“It’s more like I can’t. Cursed, remember?”

“Ah.” Asuna watched as Kirito removed a small tinderbox from the folds of his robes. “Oh, no need for that.”

He looked up quizzically. “Do you prefer a cold sleep?”

“Oh, no. I can simply save you the effort.” She extended her hand and focused on the point of her index finger, drawing upon her well of power.

A small golden spark appeared at her elbow and lazily wound its way down and around her arm, traveling down towards her hand until it finally came to a stop at the tip of her finger. She clicked her fingers and the spark launched in a smooth arc and landed in the middle of the piled logs. A roaring flame flared to life in the center of the logs and began cheerfully smoking away.

Kirito looked up at her from his position on the ground, his eyebrows raised slightly. “Impressive control.”

“My gift demands it,” she replied, dragging her leaf mattress over to the opposite side of the fire. “I spent many years of rigorous lessons cultivating a sense of it so I could properly lead.” She regarded him evenly over the dancing tongues of flame between them. “Tell me about your curse.” She watched his jaw clench and unclench.

“What do you wish to know?”

“What element does it consist of?”

“What do you mean by that?” 

She sighed impatiently. “Everyone who possesses a gift has a specific….I suppose you could call it a theme. For example, my general, Agil, possesses a gift related to the element of earth. He can make his skin become as hard as stone, and create small earthquakes with his hammer when he strikes the ground.” She placed a hand over her heart. “My bloodline was given one of the most powerful elements for their service to the Goddess; we were given light.”

Kirito stared deep into the embers of the campfire. “Light, huh?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “Given the right amount of control, light is capable of a truly staggering amount of things. It can provide heat and warmth. It provides life. It can be focused to become painfully intense. It can be used to warn of danger. It is….beautiful.”

“I see,” he replied. “I suppose when you describe it like that, my element would be….shadow.”

Asuna’s stomach did a flip. “ Shadow...I had a feeling.”

“Not too hard to guess once you’ve seen the extent of it that you have, I suppose,” he said, smiling without joy.

“Shadow was the element of The Dark One,” she whispered, unable to take her eyes off of him. He lifted his gaze to meet hers.

“So it was.”

“You’ve….been influenced by him, haven’t you? Your curse...it’s the extension of his power. Who he was.”

Kirito closed his eyes. “It would seem.”

“Then why?”

“Why what?” he asked, getting up and digging in the saddlebags of their horse.

“Why did you save me?” Asuna demanded. “I am a direct descendant of those chosen by the Goddess, who indirectly created the curse that afflicts you. You should have wanted Oberon to kill me, or capture me at the very least!”

“Why does the sun rise, or the tide change?” he answered back. He turned around, holding a rough woolen blanket and threw it at her. “Because they must. Rest soundly, your Highness. We ride at dawn.”


	3. Rest, then Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A longer update for a longer wait. As always, I am honored by all of your comments and dedication to following this story. Thanks for sticking with it!

Asuna slept fitfully the next few nights of their journey north. Every time she managed to drift off to sleep, dreams would reach her. Visions of her kingdom on fire and her armies lying dead on those fields plagued her. She saw Oberon laughing maniacally as he sat on her throne, ordering his armies to ransack the countryside to their heart’s content. She saw Kirito standing in a forest of dark trees, surrounded by mist, but when she called out to him, he simply vanished into darkness. 

During their rides, Kirito would remain silent. At night, he would wordlessly ready their camp and then melt into the shadows to keep watch. He had been quiet since he had told her the true nature of his power, and though she wanted to speak out and ask him more questions, she would always find herself hesitant, at a loss as to how to breach the topic with the right words. She was still curious as to why he  _ had _ saved her, and as to more of his story. Why did the men in Oberon’s army know of him? Why was he in those woods? What exactly was the nature of his curse?

She pondered her questions as she stared into the campfire they had made for that evening. She watched the flames flicker vacantly, her mind preoccupied.

“It affects my life force.”

Asuna blinked and looked across the fire to where Kirito sat, squatting on his haunches. “What?” she asked.

“My curse. It’s clear as day that you’re thinking about it,” he said. “You keep looking at me like a tavern puzzle.”

She looked away from him, embarrassed. “Ah. Forgive me.” Unable to stop herself, she asked another question. “How does it affect your life force?”

“The curse gives me incredible power. I have the ability to channel, increased physical abilities, and my wounds heal at remarkable speeds.” The logs in the fire snapped loudly. “However,” he continued. “I must pay the price with my life. Elucidator requires blood to perform to its fullest, and the taint left behind by the Dark One shortens my lifespan.”

“So you are saying that the more you use your power, the quicker the end of your life approaches?”

“Correct.”

“Then…” Asuna shook her head in bewilderment. “The power you used already...how close…?”

“I am in no immediate danger,” he reassured her. “The curse is like a moss. It creeps slowly. Only in situations of extreme use would I be in danger of it swallowing me whole.”

“I...see…” she replied hesitantly.

“Forgive me if I make you uneasy, your Highness. I assure you, you aren’t in any danger around me.”

“It’s not that,” she said. “I just don’t know how to….conduct myself.”

Kirito looked back at her and tilted his head quizzically. “Elaborate.”

She pursed her lips and glared at him. “See, like that. You are hard to figure out. You clearly lack empathy, but you have also undoubtedly saved my life. You also are in possession of a power created expressly to oppose mine, yet you have aided me. I simply cannot understand you.”

Those dark eyes studied her in silence for a moment. “Do you wish to understand me?”

A strange wave roiled Asuna’s insides. “I think I would like to, one day.”

His eyes stayed glued to hers as the fire snapped and popped in the silence between them. Finally, they closed in what seemed to be resignation.

“Take off your armor,” he said, rising to his feet.

“Wh-” Asuna shot up, hand flying to the hilt of her sword. “By the Goddess, that is not what I thought you meant! You-”

“I’m not suggesting that,” he said calmly. “There’s a settlement not far from here. A woman wearing a crown and full battle armor will draw attention like moths to a flame.”

Asuna looked down at her dirt covered armor. Though a fine layer of grime had coated the small plates that adorned her chest and arms, they still shone in the dim light of their fire; the golden filigree along the edges almost glowing. “I suppose that’s true,” she admitted, her face flushed. “But why now? Wouldn’t it be smarter to wait until morning?”

“Would you rather sleep on leaves or on a mattress tonight?”

Her heart leapt in her chest. The prospect of sleeping in an honest to Goddess bed with sheets and lying next to a warm hearth was enough to make her weep for joy. However, her stubborn streak reared its head, grumbling that she would not be coddled, thank you very much. She was a queen, she had endured worse hardships than sleeping on the forest floor before, and she was more than durable enough to go on one more night.

“The inns also have hot baths formed from some subterranean caverns.”

“Well,” Asuna replied, unlatching the clasp on one of her gauntlets. “Since we’re so close, I suppose it’d be safer under their noses rather than right at the end of them. Let’s go.”

After safely stashing her armor and crown in their horse’s saddlebags beneath some blankets and tack, they banked the fire and mounted up again. A short time passed before Asuna began to see pinpoints of light through the trees and hear the low rumble of civilization. 

As they cleared the treeline, her eyes widened in astonishment as she was able to see the settlement in full. Perhaps settlement wasn’t the right term. It was too established. This was a full blown town, complete with an open air market illuminated by paper lanterns, still full of hawkers crying their wares and selling foodstuffs to passerby. Cobblestone roads still bustled with activity as citizens tottered along between restaurants and houses as carriages trundled their way past. Families sat on stoops and porches, lounging amicably in the cool of the night as children played underfoot in the streets, giggling as they dodged wagon wheels and horse hooves.

One of the children, a young girl with blonde hair pulled back into pigtails, tripped on an uneven cobblestone while running from some of her companions and landed with a thud in front of a large carriage. She cried out as the carriage driver tried to rein in his horses, but only managed to upset the beasts, causing them to rear up and flash their hooves.

Asuna was already moving when she saw the girl trip. Bracing her feet in the stirrups, she launched clear of the saddle and hit the ground running, staying low to keep her momentum forward. As the horses reared up, she scooped the girl into her arms and tumbled forward in one smooth motion, flowing out of the way of danger and settling down on the side of the streets in front of some stunned passersby. 

“Be more careful next time, okay?” Asuna said to the girl, who looked up at her with wonder in her eyes.

“Oh thank you, miss!” A harried looking maternal woman holding a baby on her hip hustled over to her. “Thank you for saving my daughter!” She turned and began to scold the girl, shaking her finger and admonishing her behavior as a weathered looking older man joined the small gathering and gently took Asuna’s hand, making her jump.

“Thank you miss,” the man said. “She’s my only daughter...how can I ever repay you?”

“Oh there’s no need to-” Asuna began, but stopped as she felt a hand clamp onto her shoulder.

“A night at the inn would be welcome,” Kirito said gravely. His appearance at her side immediately sent some of the idle watchers standing around scurrying on their way; his quiet power sweeping them along. Asuna opened her mouth to chastise him, but the man nodded promptly.

“A modest price for the gift I have received,” he rumbled. He produced a small coin pouch from his belt and handed it to Kirito, who tucked it into his robe and steered Asuna back over to their horse by her shoulder.

“You are going to get us in trouble,” he growled under his breath as he took the reins into his other hand. “The citizens of Alfheim value family over little else. What you just did is going to be the talk of the town by tomorrow evening, and that’s only if we are lucky.”

“Would you have me let that child die?” she whispered back angrily. 

He looked back at her, his black eyes alight with frustration, then looked away. “No,” he replied through gritted teeth. “You did the right thing, as always.”

“As always? What do you mean?”

“We’re here.”

He stopped them in front of a low, single story building that seemed to be tucked away from the main hustle and bustle of the rest of the town. Its whitewashed walls seemed to hum with a quiet serenity as the leafy plants that lined the walkway gently whispered in an evening breeze that stirred by. Asuna could smell the heady scent of numerous flowers and fruits wafting from the building. A simple placard hanging over it’s wooden door labeled it as ‘The Heron’s Rest’.

“Come on,” Kirito said. “And try not to draw more attention.” He tied the horse to the railing out front and walked through the front door with Asuna trailing close behind. 

A small set of chimes jangled on the ceiling as the door brushed by them. The main lobby was spacious and simple, filled with lush plants in artfully decorated pots that flanked low tables and benches. At the sound of the chimes, an ancient looking woman came from behind a wall behind the main counter to meet them.

“Welcome to the Heron’s Rest,” she intoned smoothly, inclining her head. “How might we serve you?” She lifted her head and regarded the pair with a wan smile. “Ah, a room for the lovely young couple perhaps?”

“We-” Asuna bit her tongue, Kirito’s reprimand still at the front of her mind. “-would find that very nice, yes,” she finished haltingly. She could feel Kirito’s cool gaze on her, a mild air of approval radiating from him. “Might we also have access to the baths?”

“Naturally,” the elderly matron returned. “All who stay are given access to the baths. Please follow me to your room.” The duo trailed behind the woman as she shuffled long in wooden sandals that clacked on the smooth floors past identical looking doors carved with simple numbers. “Here we are, with your key.” She pressed small keys into Asuna’s and Kirito’s palms and waved genially over her shoulder as she shambled away.

“Hm, an impressive turnaround on keeping a low profile,” Kirito commented. “I must admit, I thought it would take at least two more outbursts to learn your lesson.”

“Shut it,” Asuna glowered as she jammed the key into the lock. She swung the door open to the room.

It was a simple affair, but neat and well kept. A double bed in the corner was done in modest white linens. A small square hearth sat in the center of the room, the coals glowing a warm orange beneath a small kettle that steamed with what smelled like some form of herbal tea, the steam being stirred about by the evening breeze that was coming in through the room’s open window. A small chest for valuables set against the far wall next to a small washbasin.

“It’s rather….cozy,” Asuna commented, flopping down on the corner of the bed. “Not a lot of space to spread out.”

“It is a couple’s room after all,” Kirito said, sweeping round the room, glancing out the window and opening the chest. “Not like we have to worry about sleeping arrangements.”

“True…” she said, still feeling a bit odd. She was a queen, and used to a myriad of unusual circumstances, but she had never been in a room alone with another man in this kind of situation before. Especially one so...honest?

“This chest looks secure enough,” Kirito said. “I’ll fetch our saddlebags and make sure this location is safe to sleep in, as well as settle our tab for the evening.”

“Hm? Oh, yes, please see to that,” Asuna responded a few beats after he had spoken.

He nodded and made for the doorway, but paused to look back at her. “You should do all you can to make the most of our time here, Your Highness. It will be some time before we have such an opportunity again.”

“Thank you for your advice.”

He left, leaving Asuna alone for the first time since she had entered the forest during the battle. Fatigue caught up with her in that quiet moment and she fell back into the sheets, rubbing at her eyes.

“Goddess, what have I gotten myself into?” she mumbled to herself. After another moment of lazing around on the bed, she rose and crossed over to the washbasin, scrubbing away the dirt at her face. She opened the chest to find a terry cloth robe as well a small assortment of scented oils and soaps in a small bucket. “Oh, this must be for the baths.” Glancing at the door to make sure Kirito wouldn’t walk in at an inopportune moment, she quickly undressed and wrapped herself in the robe, taking the bucket into her hand. She quietly padded down the hallways, listening to the sound of chimes in the wind as she followed the signs on the walls and humidity in the air towards the baths he had mentioned before. 

Soon enough, she found herself standing in front of a large brass door. Steam lazily creeped out from the crack at the bottom and the handle was warm to her touch. She quickly swung it open and stepped inside, closing her eyes as she reveled in the feeling of the steam. However, when she opened them, she found the room to be pitch black.

“Tch,” she complained. “How am I supposed to see the bath in a cavern with no light?”

“Ah, forgive me, Your Highness. I let my control lapse momentarily.”

Asuna gave a start as the darkness suddenly retreated like a living thing, revealing torches held in sconces along the cavern walls. The shadows continued to diminish until they resolved themselves into a small pool behind a figure sitting at the far end of the cavern.Kirito regarded her evenly; his elbows propped up on the rim of the pool, the rest of him submerged beneath his collarbones. 

“What are you doing in here?!” she hissed.

“Uh, bathing?”

Asuan pursed her lips and glared at him. “Obviously. Do they not have separate baths here?”

“Evidently not. Forgive me for making you uncomfortable. I’ll guard the room until you return.” The shadows behind him began to writhe, enveloping his arms.

“Wait!” Asuna cried out. “It’s fine, I’d rather you stay.”

The shadows encircling him froze as he looked at her, then slowly retreated until they vanished entirely. “Very well, I will remain.”

“Could you…” Asuna swallowed and felt heat that had nothing to do with the bath rise to her face. “Could you turn away and give me a moment?” To her surprise, the request seemed to catch him off guard, and she saw a faint tinge of color come to his face.

“Oh,” he said. “Um, of course.” He turned his back and faced the cavern wall. 

Asuna shook herself and took her bucket in hand, then quickly disrobed and entered the water, savoring the heat washing over her aching muscles. As she went further and further in, the deeper it got until it sat all the way to the base of her neck. She glanced at Kirito, who remained frozen where he had moved. She waded a bit closer until she was a few feet away from him, then settled down on a submerged ledge that seemed to jut out from the wall of the pool opposite of him. She took a wide toothed comb from the bucket and began working the knots out of her hair.

“You may turn around now,” she said nonchalantly, stamping out any anxious nerves that still complained. At this distance, she could see him stiffen slightly at the sound of her voice, then force his shoulders down and turn around to face her. “Wow”, she remarked with a small grin. “I think this marks the first occasion I have seen such a human reaction come out of you.”

“I am still human,” he grumbled at her as he resumed his previous position. “Any human would be a bit flustered in this situation. I know you are, I can hear your heartbeat from here.”

“Well, like you said,” Asuna retorted, a bit peeved her façade was so easily defeated. “Anyway, I wanted to ask you some more questions.”

“So you followed me to the bath to do that?”

“Now you’re just being intentionally difficult.” 

A small tilt of his lips upwards accompanied a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Forgive me, Your Highness. Tweaking the noses of nobility has been a favorite pastime of mine.”

“Back in the forest,” she continued, narrowing her eyes as she continued to work out the knots in her hair. “Before you showed yourself, the men called you “Oni” and “Demon”.”

“Yes, but I would have thought the reason why would be obvious by now.”

“No,” Asuna replied, shaking her head. “That’s not my question. My question is why Oberon’s men knew of you, and seemed scared stiff at the mention of you.”

The merry light in his eyes changed as he cast a hooded gaze at her, his face becoming thoughtful. “A good question, that.”

“You promised to answer me truthfully, Kirito. I hold you to your word.” To her surprise, his guard seemed to soften a bit, and he relaxed more against the wall of the pool.

“That I did, and so I shall.” He seemed to ponder a moment before speaking. “This is not the first time Oberon has sought to invade Aincrad.”

“What?” Asuna stopped her comb abruptly mid-stroke, sending her coppery hair fanning angrily over the surface of the water. “This is the first I have heard of such things. My spymaster has eyes like an eagle, and a network of scouts superior to any other nation bordering us. An incursion into Aincrad would have been swiftly reported to me.”

“It is as you say,” he acknowledged with a bow of his head. “However, you did not hear of it because they did not cross the border.”

“But how?” Asuna mumbled to herself. The images of her battle in the forest flashed back to her. The cagey eyes of the soldiers darting around in fear, the muffled curses muttered under their breath, the creak of gauntlets of the grips of weapons. Her eyes widened as she looked back up at Kirito. “You, again?”

“Yes.”

Asuna set down her comb and leaned forward, brow furrowed. “How? You said there are multiple passes in the Spires. Surely you could not guard them all at once.”

“No, that is even beyond me,” he admitted. “But it is a simpler matter to force a choice. An avalanche in the northern passes, a brush fire in the midlands. Forcing the scouting parties down a chosen path makes it much easier to deal with them. Kill most of them, leave a few survivors to spread the message.”

Asuna leaned back against the pool wall, idly reaching for the soap in her bucket. This man….he possessed more than raw power. He possessed a cold calculating intellect that knew how to use it to its full effectiveness; even when that meant practicing restraint as opposed to levelling everything in his path. 

_ Although,  _ she thought as she recalled witnessing the landslide he had caused,  _ he certainly has enough power to do that if he so chooses. _

“That leads me to my next question,” she said, locking eyes with him. “Why are you doing this? And no more of this ‘because I must’ nonsense. I want a real reason. You’ve risked your life in not only rescuing me, but defending my kingdom and my people from an aggressive nation’s forces for an undetermined amount of time, yet I- nor any of the members of my court -have interacted or even heard of you before. Your existence is meant to counter mine in every sense of the way, but yet, you protect me. I demand to know  _ why. _ ”

The sounds of water sloshing and dripping echoed in the silence of the caverns as he looked back at her, his face deadpan. She stared back, unrelenting.

“How old are you, your Highness?”

Asuna blinked. “What?”

“How old are you?”

“You know it’s considered improper to ask a lady such a question.”

“It’s relevant to the answer.”

“If you must know,” Asuna grumbled in exasperation. “This is my twenty-fifth summer.”

“Ah, a year older than me,” he said, eyebrows raising slightly in surprise. “I suppose it would have been your sixteenth year then. You and the royal family were making a visit near the Spires to a fiefdom who had recently sworn fealty when the guards caught a thief trying to steal from the caravan.”

“I remember that,” Asuna said. “Father was furious and berated the lord for allowing such a crime to take place in his land, let alone while he was visiting. He wanted to sentence the thief to death.”

“True, but you intervened. Said that killing a new subject would not bode well for the future.”

“Well it wouldn’t have been. If you sow seeds of hatred like that, it is what you will reap in the future. Luckily, he relented at my insistence. But is that why you’re doing this? What is it, that man was a friend of yours?”

“No,” he replied, shaking his head. “What you did after is why I am doing this.”

“What are you talking about?” Asuna asked, her eyes cutting away from him.

“Sincerity goes both ways, Your Highness. Nobody else may have seen you, but the cover of night didn’t hide you from me. I saw you leave your necklace on that family’s windowsill. The emeralds on that piece of jewelry alone were worth enough gil to feed their entire family until their children had children.”

“He wasn’t even trying to steal from the lockboxes,” Asuan muttered. “He was going for the pack horses with our food on them. It isn’t right to let your subjects starve, not when you can stop it.”

“That right there. That drive to not just lead the people of your kingdom, but actually  _ help _ them. Bettering their lives, no matter if it risks your station. I saw in you a heart worth protecting.”

“You….flatter me,” she murmured, keeping her vision lowered. “You certainly are a strange man, Kirito.”

“I have been called worse,” he answered, his voice warmed with the sound of a smile. “Now, if you will excuse me, I haven’t eaten dinner yet and I want something I don’t have to catch while we’re in town.”

“Be safe.”

He paused as he was sitting up in the water, regarding her with a curious look.

“What is it?”

“Nothing,” he said. “I just think that’s the first time someone has said that to me. It’s...nice.” And with that, the shadows in the room flared to life again and whipped around his frame, obscuring him from her view. When the shadows returned to normal, he had vanished.

“Very strange indeed,” Asuna whispered as she slipped lower into the water, thinking to herself.

After a while longer of luxuriating in the baths and feeling her saddle soreness wash away, Asuna dried off and wrapped herself in her robe. She exited the caverns feeling immensely better and yawned as she made her way back to her room. She opened her door using her key, then crossed over to the hearth to pull the pot off of the flames. She poured a small cup of tea using one of the delicate porcelain cups neatly arranged on the mantle, and shimmied into her shift as the liquid cooled. She took the cup into her hand and sighed contentedly as she sunk into bed.

“Ahhhh, I almost wish we could stay another night,” she mumbled to herself. She drank in the serenity of the moment around her. The warmth of the nearby hearth, the sweet citrus smell of the waxed wood from the furniture in the room, the breeze drifting in from the open window, and the light of the torchflies blinking slowly in the dark. Drowsily lifting herself from bed, she banked the hearth, the coals sizzling as they were dampened. Next, she went around the room, blowing out the candles in the sconces. She hesitated at the last candle by the bedside on the nightstand, glancing at the door.

_ I know he doesn’t sleep, but perhaps he would like to stay somewhere more comfortable during the night on watch… _ she thought to herself as she sipped idly on her tea. She decided to leave the candle lit as she slipped beneath the lightweight covers of the bed, finishing off her tea and setting the cup on the nightstand. Soon, sleep enveloped her entirely.

The acrid smell of smoke burned Asuna’s nostrils and roused her awake. She blinked slowly in a daze, coming out of her slumber. Her eyes first focused on the candle by the bed, which had apparently been extinguished by an errant gust of wind, gauging from how the smoke danced in a frenzy from the wick. She heard the shifting of cloth and her eyes moved to the rest of the room.

A hunched over hooded figure in dark rags squatted over the chest in the corner, fingers flying as it fiddled with the lock. Asuna’s eyes immediately flew to her sword, which still leaned on the bedframe by the foot of the bed where she had left it. Her pulse rose as adrenaline began pumping through her system. She wouldn’t have time to draw her rapier in these close quarters, the enemy would be on her too fast. Her best bet would be to rush him and club him out with the pommel before he could react. She tensed her muscles, suppressing the urge to tremble, then launched herself towards her blade. 

As soon as she threw the covers back, the dark figure hissed in surprise and wheeled on her, drawing a jagged knife from its belt. Asuna’s fingers wrapped around the hilt of her sword and she swung it in front of her in a wide block, knocking aside a stab at her midsection from her attacker that glanced off of the metal joints of her scabbard with a flash of sparks. She followed up the parry with a swift kick at her adversary’s stomach that connected with a solid  _ thud! _ He crashed into the wall with a grunt, sagging a moment from the force of the powerful blow. He slowly rose as Asuna drew her sword free of its scabbard, gripping the knife tightly in his hand. 

Suddenly, as he poised himself on the balls of his feet to launch at her, Asuna saw the dim shadows in the room coalesce into a dark shape along the wood of the wall behind him. A dark hand jutted out from the wall and clamped over the man's mouth, stifling the scream of surprise he let out at the touch.

Asuna watched in an odd mish-mash of relief and terror as she saw Kirito’s face emerge from the wall as well, his expression hardened with a cold fury. Without a word or warning, Elucidator’s blade erupted from the man’s chest, making him go rigid before falling completely limp. The blade retracted from the man’s chest and the body fell to the ground with a hollow thump as the rest of Kirito materialized from the wall, the condensed shadows trailing away like smoke.

“Asuna, are you hurt?” he asked, his voice urgent. “Did you take any wounds?”

“No,” she breathed, her eyes still locked on the motionless body. “No I’m fine. Thank you.” She looked up at him and reeled back for a moment as she noticed his eyes seemed to be glowing a pale yellow, almost like a full moon.

“What is it?” Kirito asked, grabbing her forearm. “Do you feel faint?” He blinked as he squinted at her, and Asuna saw the same dark eyes he’d been regarding her with since her initial rescue full of concern. She shook her head.

“No, I’m still waking up is all. It all happened pretty quick. Where were you?” 

“I was out getting some more provisions for our journey when I heard that Oberon had been spotted near the army’s camps at Fang’s Pass. Evidently he was raging at his troops to mobilize deeper into the countryside,” he answered with a grimace. He knelt down next to the corpse and dug around in its shirt. His hand came away with a silver necklace in the shape of a set of bat’s wings. “Dammit,” he growled, rising to his feet.

“What’s that?” 

“Insignia of the Nightwalkers, Oberon’s spy force.”

“You think they know our location now?” Asuna asked, her voice tight.

“Doubtful. He most likely heard whispers of a foreign woman in town from when you saved that child and came to investigate.” He glanced at the chest, which now stood slightly ajar. “I suspect had you not woken, he would have found your crown and we would be in a much worse situation.”

“His superiors will know something is amiss when he doesn’t return to report his findings, though.”

“Correct. We need to move,” Kazuto said brusquely, gathering their items from the chest.

“But what will we do about the body?” Asuna asked. “We can’t very well just leave it here!”

“What body?” he replied gravely.

Asuna turned to look down and smothered a gasp. The body of her would-be assassin was rapidly dissolving into thin ribbons of shadow, and even as she watched, those ribbons flickered and vanished into thin air, leaving not even a bloodstain on the polished wooden floors.

“Darkness can consume all,” Kirito rumbled. “We begin in it, we end in it, and somewhere between that, we gnash our teeth and try to avoid it at all costs. If we hope to do that now, we have to go.”

Leaving their keys on the nightstand, they leapt out the window and into the quiet night, feet pounding as they ran to the stable.

“Where are we going?” Asuna panted as they mounted their borrowed horse. Kirito grimly glanced back at her, then heeled the horse out onto the street, urging it forward.

“I had planned on taking us a long way around to the northern pass, but now that we’re about to be discovered, it’s going to be a race to see if they can cut us off or surround us. We’re going to have to make a mad dash straight for it.”

“Considering how quickly that spy heard the rumors, we don’t have much time at all.”

“No we don’t. I have a bad feeling it will all come down to who can cross the bridge first.”

“The bridge?”

“The bridge over the fastest river in Alfheim. We’re going straight through Tempest Run.”


	4. Tempest Run

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As usual, thank you everyone for your continued interest and support. Knowing my works can help peoples' days be just a bit better makes it all worthwhile and is very humbling. Please continue sharing your thoughts and comments and I hope you enjoy!

Asuna held onto Kirito’s waist for dear life as their horse pounded down dark forest paths at breakneck speeds. As loathe as she was to admit it to herself, the thought of Oberon closing in on her made her stomach riot. The sharp memory of that arrow puncturing her foot and severing her tie to her gift rested all too freshly in her mind, along with that glint of that metal cage, and the sardonic gleam in Oberon’s eyes.

“How far is it to Tempest Run?” she asked Kirito tightly.

He glanced at her over his shoulder as his knuckles tightened on the reins. “Typically it’s two days of average travel. We’re going to try and make it one.” His eyes scanned the tree line, then returned to hers, softening a fraction of an inch. “Forgive me, but you’ll have to sleep in the saddle.”

“Just don’t let me go falling off,” she grumbled, resigning herself to yet more aches and pains that would only be amplified. “That’s an order.” To her surprise, she felt his chest thrum with a rumble of laughter.

“By your word.”

The levity in his response faded all too quickly as the sun began to rise on their flight, the forest around them blurring as Kirito pushed the horse above and beyond its limits. They stopped only momentarily, breaking only to consult the location of the sun before mounting up again. They ate their meals in the saddle, not wanting to waste any more time. Eventually the weariness grew too much for Asuna, and she drifted off into a dim sleep with her arms snaked around Kirito’s waist, her head jostling against his back. When her eyes opened again, it was breaking dawn yet again.

“Good, you’re awake. We’re approaching Tempest Run now.”

She could hear wind blowing through the trees faster here, the leaves whipping around in a wailing chorus that seemed almost too loud as they began to clear the tree line. When they did finally break free of the forest, she gasped at the sight.

A massive river roared in front of them, the water positively frothing with the speed of the current. The speed stirred the water so greatly that Asuna couldn’t even gauge how deep it ran, the surface completely obscured by the raging whiteheads. A wide, squat wooden bridge spanned the river, seemingly devoid of any sign of life.

“It looks like we made it!” she shouted over the noise.

Kirito glanced over his shoulder at her. “I guess-” His eyes suddenly flared in anger as he snarled and his arm flew up from the reins in a blur. 

Asuna heard the sound of a wet impact next to her ear and felt something warm splatter onto her face. Eyes wide, she turned her head to look.

Kirito’s hand hovered a few inches away from her face; an arrow tipped with a barbed head running through his palm. Dark red blood streamed from the wound. Had it not intercepted the arrow, it would have caught her behind the ear, ending her reign in an all too abrupt manner. Kirito took his other hand and snapped the arrow shaft in half as easily as she might have a matchstick, pulling the end with the arrow out the other side. The wound swirled with that dark energy and began to close before her very eyes.

“Looks like Oberon isn’t looking to make you his queen anymore,” Kirito growled. Behind them, hunting horns began to sound, and more answered in return. “Hang on!” He kicked the horse forward as more arrows began whizzing by and the sound of the horns grew closer. 

They galloped across the bridge at full tilt, barreling across the planks when suddenly from the forest on the opposite shore, troops began to pour forth from the underbrush. Before they could do much more than blink, they found themselves running headlong into a tightly formed shield wall. Their borrowed horse balked at the sight and reared onto its hind legs, throwing the pair to the rough wood of the bridge. Both of them took the fall well enough, managing to turn it into a tumbling roll that brought them back up to their feet.

Unfortunately, by the time they had regained their footing, both sides of the bridge had been cut off by enemy forces.

“This is bad,” Asuna said, finding herself pressing her back against Kirito’s, levelling her rapier at the Alfheim soldiers.

“Your tactical assessment of the situation truly is unrivalled, Your Highness,” Kirito snapped irritably. Soldiers began to surge forward towards them, their swords bared as they screamed out battle cries.

“Well what are we going to do about it?” she cried back, her rapier flickering to and fro as she cut enemies down and parried their strikes.

“We need to punch another hole through that-” his reply was cut short as he gave a harsh cry and the scream of metal punctuated the air. Asuna glanced back to see him deflecting the large head of a double bladed battle axe with the length of his sword. He quickly reversed his grip on the handle and flicked the blade up the haft of his opponent’s weapon, using his grip to provide the leverage to drive his attack to his enemy’s throat. The soldier fell with a gurgle, his axe still embedded in the timbers of the bridge. “-that shield wall!” he finished. “They’ll just wear us down otherwise!” More soldiers swarmed from the shoreline and past their allies as reinforcements began to arrive.

“There’s too many!” she screamed back, narrowly deflecting a stab that was aimed at her head while just barely managing to sidestep a slash aimed at her midsection. “Even with my power I can’t take this many on at once!” Her partner was silent for a few heartbeats as she continued to frantically defend his back. “Kirito!”

“Can you buy me a few seconds?” he asked, his voice strangely calm. She glanced back at him again between thrusts of her rapier. She couldn’t see his face, but his shoulders seemed to be squared with an eerie resolve.

“I can try,” she panted. She felt him grunt an affirmative. She reached deep within herself to where that sparkling well of power dwelt inside of her as she raised her rapier high, aiming the tip at the bridge beneath her feet.

“Bestow the power of the sun to my strike,” she chanted. “Burning Blow!” She thrust her rapier straight down into the wood of the bridge and the sound of it amplified tenfold as a blazing rings of golden fire began to ripple out from her feet and towards her foes. The fire washed over them and pained screams rang out from the men as they were suddenly engulfed in fire and light. Several threw down their weapons and leapt into the waters that roared beneath them, only to be swept away by the powerful current. The rings roared down the length of the bridge, setting the planks alight as they washed against the enemy’s shield wall. The men cried out in alarm, but held their defense as the fire died against the metal shields. For the moment, however, the two of them were the only ones on the bridge.

Asuna’s skin began to crawl as she felt Kirito begin to channel. However, whatever he was doing this time felt much more severe. Wrong, even. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and the cool air that hung round the river began to drop to freezing, her breath coming out in plumes of steam.

“Heed my call,” he growled, raising an empty hand to the sky. “Oh blade of bones, forged from the steel of my spine!” The winds surrounding them rose to a fever pitch, screaming in Asuna’s ears and fanning the flames higher. “Come and aid me in my time of need! Allow me to lay waste to my enemies! I summon thee: Dark Repulsor!” Dark energy exploded out from Kirito, obscuring him from vision as everyone was buffeted back a step. 

When the shadows had receded, Asuna saw him standing exactly as he had been, his arm raised into the air, but in his hand sat a sword the likes of which she had never seen. It was a longsword, much like the Elucidator that still rested in his right hand, but this blade was of a pale blue color, seemingly forged out of some shimmering metal that carried a pale sheen that reminded her of bones that had been left to bleach in the sun. Belatedly, she realized that the winds had died down to quieter than they had ever been. Even the river flowed quieter. It was as if the very world had gone into hiding.

Slowly, Kirito lowered the pale sword to point at the enemies along the northern bank of the river. “Yield,” he growled again.

“L-lock shields!” came a delayed command from the northern bank. The soldiers responded on reflex, clanking their shields together and crouching into a defensive pose. 

Kirito slowly advanced forwards, walking as though he had nowhere to be, the points of the swords in each of his hands hovering just above the ground. Even from where she was standing, Asuna could hear the jittering of the men in their armor as they shivered at his approach.

“Steady, men! He’s just one man! He isn’t even wearing armor!” came a thready voice from the rear of the formation. “We have nothing to fear-”

Abruptly, Kirito vanished from view, then reappeared directly in front of the shield bearers. “Shadow’s Third Stance,” he said calmly. “Twin Scythes.” Then, the screaming started. Asuna watched in horror as metal and flesh were carved like butter as Kirito whirled his blades in smooth, circular strikes that cleaved shields in half and took limbs from bodies. The enemy formation fell into shambles almost immediately as men howled in agony and fell to the ground, thrashing wildly. What men survived the initial onslaught fled for their lives, leaving the north end of the bridge free and clear.

With the bridge crumbling into cinders beneath her, Asuna rushed through the flames, diving as the last stretch of fell away completely, hissing angrily as the embers came into contact with the torrential waters. She landed clear on the other side next to Kirito, who stood gazing hungrily at the fleeing enemies.

“Kirito…?” she asked quietly.

“Should go after them and finish them off, don’t want to be ambushed by stragglers,” he muttered as his eyes stayed locked on the fleeing men. “Too much power, though. Need to rest.”

“Are you alright?”

“Should be, just need to take it easy for a-” he stopped mid-sentence as a thudding sound cut him off. Slowly, he looked over his shoulder. Asuna followed his gaze and let out a strangled yelp as she saw another arrow shaft protruding from his back. “Ow,” he grunted, reaching slowly for the arrow. Two more arrows slammed into his back, sending him staggering forward a step. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as his eyes glossed over, uncomprehending, then collapsed into the dirt.

. Asuna let out a wordless scream and rounded to look at the far shore ,where soldiers stood with more arrows nocked on their bows. She dove into her well of power, letting her anger coalesce into a bright, white-hot rage. She lifted her arm and extended two fingers, the energy compressing into a pinpoint sphere of light that flickered with golden lightning. It crackled with power for a moment, then exploded outward in a roaring jet a good twenty feet across that washed over the Alfheim soldiers in an unforgiving wave. She clamped the flow of energy off after a few moments and as the flames receded, all she could see was the faint orange glow of the superheated suits of armor and the charred remains within them.

She dismissed the threat from her mind and immediately whirled around, slamming her sword into its sheath. “Kirito!” she cried out, dropping to her knees. Her partner lay still in the dirt in front of her. “Just hang on, okay? I’ll get you fixed up. Don’t worry!” 

As she went to roll him on his side to gauge how serious the wounds were however, she heard more horns in the distance. Her hands froze, hovering over his body as her eyes flicked back to the remnants of the bridge. The horns sounded again, closer. Growling, she gently lifted Kirito up from the ground and slung his arm over her shoulder as she began to drag him slowly into the forest to the north.

“Come on, Kirito, please,” she panted as she shambled deeper into the woods. “Please, hang on. I can help, but you have to hang on.” He groaned weakly in response as the light rapidly began to fade from the sky, throwing them into darkness beneath the leaves of the trees. She could feel warm blood seep through her clothes and run down her arm. Why hadn’t he stopped bleeding yet?

A gnarled root caught her foot and she muttered an oath as she had to jerk suddenly to avoid falling over completely. The motion made Kirito groan in pain again, his head lolling to the side as he grit his teeth. Looking at him with concern, then at her surroundings to make sure they were safe, Asuna inclined her head in a brief prayer.

“Goddess,” she chanted quietly. “Please, show us the path: Guiding Light.” A gentle power washed over her, like the sound of a choir. Light began to flow outwards from her, cascading down her hair and out from her eyes and she could see the forest floor in perfect detail, as well as a shimmering golden trail that seemed to hang in the air before her.

She drifted through the trees like a ghost, her hair and eyes casting a gentle coppery light onto her surroundings as she followed the path before her. Soon enough, she found herself in a secluded glade that was screened off by dense patches of briars. She quickly set Kirito down onto the soft grass, gingerly rolling him onto his side so she could examine his back. 

Three wooden hafts stuck out of his back like enormous quills, each oozing a ribbon of blood that looked black in her magical light. Wincing, she gently took the first arrow shaft into her hand and prepared to pull it.

“This will hurt,” she whispered apologetically. 

In one swift motion, she yanked the arrow free. Kirito grunted in pain as the broadhead came out in a gout of blood. To her dismay, however, Asuna watched as the puncture wound continued to spill the blackish blood onto her hands and out onto the ground. Ice began to form in her stomach. She touched the arrowhead to her skin and the light emanating from her immediately flickered and began to dim. She hissed through her teeth and immediately threw the arrow into the brush.

“Okay, brace yourself, these have to come out fast,” she told him. Kirito gurgled woozily in response. She yanked out the other two arrows simultaneously, taking care to make sure that the points wouldn’t touch either of them before disposing of the arrowheads. As she returned her attention to him, she saw that the bleeding had slowed, but still persisted. “Alright, the worst part’s over,” she murmured. “Now I can help.”

She bent her head forward, letting her power flow through her again as she began to channel. “Bring us your benediction and ease us of our woes: Healing Hands.” Gentle golden light began to glow from her palms as she knelt over Kirito. Gently, she placed her hands onto his wounds. A flash of silvery light and the sound of a small thunderclap rocked her back from him ,throwing her back a few feet into the grass as Kirito let out a strangled scream and writhed on the ground.

“Kirito!” she cried out as she rushed to his side, turning him over onto his back. “Forgive me, I don’t know why-”

“The shadow,” he rasped, looking at her with bloodshot eyes. “Your light...it can’t heal me. It was made to destroy it”

“But your wounds! If I can’t heal them-”

“They’ll heal.”

“They’re too severe! Your curse....it will take too much from you!”

“I’m not the one that has to live,” he grunted, trying to sit up. “We need more distance from the enemy.”

Asuna’s hand clamped onto his shoulder and forced him to stop. “We’re safe for now. I used my gift to guide us to a location that will be protected until daybreak. You  _ will _ rest. That’s an order.”

A pained smile flashed across Kirito’s face as he looked up at her. “You know, with your hair and eyes like that, going around commanding people, you’re not far off from looking like a goddess yourself.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere,” she harrumphed, turning away to hide her blush. “But, considering your extraordinary service in the name of the crown today, I shall let you rest your head on my lap while you recuperate.”

His eyes held hers for a moment. “Thank you for your kindness, Asuna.” The use of her name from his mouth in such a direct and honest manner sent a chill up her spine as he scooted over and gently placed his head on her lap. His eyes closed and his breath slowly fell into an even cadence. 

Asuna looked at him, bemused as she sorted through the roiling tide of emotions in her mind. He was undoubtedly a powerful ally, but there was more to her feelings towards him than simple pragmatism. Like it or not, she had grown accustomed to his odd nature. She could even say she had grown fond of his almost callous way of speaking his mind; it was such a refreshing departure from the silver tongued counts and diplomats she had to so often suffer through. And, she thought sheepishly as a hot flush of embarrassment swept over her, he was quite dashing with that raven hair and black garb.

“Even someone who can’t sleep finds it hard to rest with someone staring holes into his head, you know,” Kirito muttered without opening his eyes.

“Forgive me,” she replied, leaning back against the tree they had stopped by. “Wake me if you hear anyone approach, and don’t try to fight them if you do.”

He grumbled under his breath, but she sensed compliance as the two of them rested from their flight and desperate battle.


End file.
